Heaven Sent Farm, LLC

09/08/2026

"Pastures can therefore be higher in sugars in both the spring and fall, so we should limit grazing these pastures in horses with ID or with a history of laminitis at these times," Jones explains. "If sugar intake is a concern, limiting the duration of grazing and using a grazing muzzle can help reduce intake of sugars."

Does your horse have a history of insulin dysregulation or laminitis? Learn how to manage their grass intake this fall at the link in the comments.

09/08/2026

🐴 Senior Horse Sunday: Quality of Life 🐴
At Green Glen Equine Hospital, we believe senior horses deserve comfort, dignity, and thoughtful care at every stage of life. As our horses age, their needs change—and regularly assessing quality of life becomes one of the most important responsibilities we share with their caregivers.
🐴 Comfort & Pain Management
A good quality of life starts with comfort. Ask yourself:
• Can your horse move around their environment with relative ease?
• Are they able to lie down and stand back up comfortably?
• Do they seem bright and willing, or withdrawn and uncomfortable?
Chronic conditions like arthritis are common in seniors. With veterinary guidance, medications and gentle, consistent movement can help—but if pain can no longer be adequately managed, this is an important quality-of-life consideration.
🌾 Nutrition, Hydration & Basic Needs
• Is your horse able to chew and eat comfortably, even with dietary adjustments?
• Are they maintaining a healthy body condition?
• Are they drinking enough and able to access clean water and appropriate shelter?
Difficulty eating, ongoing weight loss, or trouble staying warm can signal declining comfort and wellbeing.
💞 Mental & Social Wellbeing
Quality of life isn’t just physical. Horses are social, aware animals and herd dynamics can change as a senior ages.
• Are they still engaging with their herd or environment?
• Are they being bullied or struggling to access feed and shelter?
• Do they still enjoy gentle movement, grooming, or quiet companionship?
Chronic stress, isolation, or anxiety can significantly impact overall wellbeing.
🩺 The Importance of Veterinary Guidance
Routine veterinary care helps identify age-related changes like Cushing’s disease, vision loss, or chronic pain—and just as importantly, helps assess when those conditions are affecting quality of life. Your veterinary team is here not only to treat, but to help you evaluate comfort, dignity, and day-to-day happiness.
💔 When Quality of Life Is Compromised
While never an easy discussion, there may come a time when one or more of these key factors can no longer be maintained. When comfort, mobility, nutrition, or mental wellbeing are consistently compromised despite best efforts, it may be time to talk about quality-of-life decisions.
These conversations come from a place of love and responsibility. Choosing a peaceful goodbye can be the final, kind gift we give to the horses who have given us so much.
If you’re unsure or struggling, you’re not alone—reach out to your veterinary team. We are always here to support you, answer questions, and help guide you through these decisions with compassion 🤍

09/08/2026

"I had a vet out, so my horse can't be in pain"
(note: this post is not about vets. please read the whole post)

I hear this more often than I care to.

If you've ever been a human in pain, or sick, and gone to a doctor (or many doctors) who wasn't able to figure out the source of your pain and labeled you as "healthy and sound" because they hadn't yet found an answer, did that automatically make you healthy, sound and comfortable?

The same can be said for mental wellbeing - lack of a formal diagnosis doesn't mean lack of symptoms we are experiencing. Horses also experience emotional stressors that need to be taken into account.

The truth is, vets like human doctors can miss things, and unlike human doctors our vets don't have the luxury of a patient who can answer their questions. Our vets rely on education, past experiences, and the physical things they are able to see and scan. We also have to remember that things like x-rays are expensive so many vets are tasked with closely estimating where the issues are coming from to examine our horses within our human budgets.

"I had a saddle fitter out, so my horse is comfortable he's just being naughty"

The truth is, not every saddle fitter and brand rep has the same knowledge and training, and many still have very little when it comes to equine pain scores and biomechanics (many DO have the knowledge, you just have to make sure you do your research on your hired professionals). And ultimately a saddle fitter is not a veterinarian and cannot xray or see anything underlying happening. They are again relying on body langue of the horse, what they can see & feel themselves around the tack, as well as the rider's preferences and budget.

"My horse is having trouble chewing & holding weight, but the dentist said they have good teeth so I know they're fine"

The truth is, not every ailment has an immediate answer. A dentist can only see the external parts of the inside of the mouth and teeth, without xray vision it's only possible to rule out so many things visually and by feel. Horses can have jaw ailments and even deep tooth root abscesses which while in the mouth require vet x-rays and treatment. Sometimes the type of food comes into play having very little to do with the teeth.

"I had the nutrition advisor out, they said his body condition is good so I don't need to make any adjustments"

The truth is a nutritionist/nutrition consultant cannot see what is happening internally, and we are evaluating based on visuals, math problems and owner observations. We rely largely on feed tag math and estimations of ingested nutrients, and we know that body condition and nutrient profile don't always equal each other (ex. a good body condition doesn't always mean all nutritional needs are being fully met).
We will absolutely do our best to catch the important things and help you understand the things we can't figure out, and we still have to listen to what the horse is telling us about how they feel (BCS, facial expressions, stereotypic behaviors, weight gain/loss, energy level etc). The products we recommend are not magic and they affect each horse differently, and every horse has vastly different requirements.

All of our equine professionals are necessary and valuable, and we should absolutely trust them while also gathering our own information as owners, both to help our professionals and to better understand our own horses.

And a good equine professional is willing and able to admit when they have done all they can, exhausted all their skills, and that they still don't know the cause of the problem. They don't just say "there's no issue because I can't find one".

This post is for the owners.

This is not post against any equine professional- this is a reminder that even the best of the best equine professionals are still human. And humans make mistakes, but most importantly humans can also only know as much as we can figure out on our own, our horses can't use words to guide us in diagnostics.

Remember to listen to your horse - if they are expressing pain, discomfort, distress please don't ignore them simply because you've had professionals look at them. Sometimes it takes 4 vets, 3 farriers, a body worker, saddle fitters, and a lifestyle change before we find answers. Sometimes we only find them on necropsy.

This post isn't to discourage anyone who is struggling with their horse, as hard as that always is.
This post is a reminder to keep pushing and advocating for your horse. If your horse is trying to communicate with you, let them do it loudly and make sure to really listen.
And keep listening.

Horses have reasons for all of their behavior, we just have to learn to listen and find their reasons. 🐴

Pictures below of Jordan, my medical mystery thoroughbred horse who I spent years finding answers for. Jordan was cleared to buy during his PPE and declared as sound during his post purchase exam by a well known and respected vet. Jordan immediately began "misbehaving", showing pain behaviors from day 1 of meeting him in hindsight, but until I was riding him I could ignore it. Jordan was later diagnosed with kissing spines, hock arthritis both sides, clubbed hooves both fronts, bone chips & fluid in both front fetlocks, ear plaques, and likely jaw arthritis with potential nerve pinching near his pole.
This led me to pushing to find answers for my own chronic health issues. You can see in some of these pictures where I was being told he was doing well, but when I look back I can't help but see and remember all of the discomfort and distress he used to display.
Jordan is now thriving!

09/07/2026

09/05/2026

09/05/2026

"The Fall Flush" - when grass that was previously wilting in the summer heat gets sprung back to life with more rain and cooler weather.

Often a nightmare for metabolic horses, "good-doers" who are over conditioned, horses with previous history of diet related laminitis, and horses who aren't used to grazing on green grass.

I used to panic this time of year. I still get nervous. But now I know to be prepared.

🍁Muzzles, dry lots (true dirt lots), track and strip grazing systems, stall time as needed, increased exercise (calorie output) whenever possible.🍂

To be perfectly honest none of my track systems are currently grass-free. They both have grass growing in that my horses do graze on if they choose. They also have hay available.
But the benefit of limiting their grazing areas gives me soooo much peace of mind this time of year, especially for my haflinger, my mini and my oldest mare.

Sometimes we do the best we can, we don't have to be perfect. We can do a lot to keep our horses safer during seasonal changes, we just have to figure out what works for each horse as an individual.

If you'd like help finding out the best fall flush management methods for your horse, I'm here to help!

Offering both in person and virtual consultations 🐴🍂🌱

09/05/2026

What Does Your Monthly Board Actually Pay For?

I recently saw a comment in a local horse group suggesting that boarding rates are far higher than the actual cost of caring for a horse. From the outside looking in, it can be easy to assume that board simply covers hay, feed, bedding, and basic daily care. In reality, operating a safe, well-maintained equine facility involves many additional expenses.

Along with the direct care of each horse, monthly board helps cover:

• Property rent or mortgage
• Business and liability insurance
• Electricity and utilities
• Facility, arena, and equipment maintenance
• Fuel for the equipment used around the farm
• Manure removal
• Repairs and replacement of items damaged through normal wear and tear
• Water and feed buckets, hoses, pitchforks, cross-ties, and automatic-waterer parts
• Cleaning supplies and everyday necessities for shared areas
• Payroll for the dependable people who help provide daily care

The list is nearly endless—and many of these expenses continue to rise.

Board is not simply payment for a stall and a few bales of hay. It supports the people, equipment, facilities, and behind-the-scenes work required to provide consistent, professional care while maintaining the safe and comfortable amenities horse owners expect.

There is an enormous amount of time, responsibility, and expense involved in properly caring for horses and operating a quality facility. Boarding rates reflect the true cost of providing that level of care—not just the items that are easiest to see.